Tasted at the Bipin Desai’s VCC vertical in Los Angeles. This is a triumph of wine over vintage: Alexandre Thienpont having to pass through the vineyard six times in order to pick the grapes. It was worthwhile because this is one of the outstanding wines of the vintage, driven by the Cabernet Franc (30%). A delectable nose with wonderful purity and exuberant, peppery Cabernet Franc with touches of tar and roasted chestnuts inflected the black fruits. The palate is medium-bodied, very good weight, almost sinewy in fact, with vibrant acidity and a slight hardness on the finish that should melt away with time. It has a relatively dry finish, which leaves the palate eager for the next sip and improving all the time in my glass so that the final dregs are the finest. Superb. Drink 2015-2030+. Tasted November 2008.

Fabulous aromas of crushed berries, vanilla and chocolate, with pure fruit. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, caressing finish. All in texture. A gorgeous and seductive young wine. This is 25 percent Cabernet Franc (normally it's 15 percent). James Suckling

The 2004 Vieux Château Certan shows that, even in more challenging vintages, this estate is absolutely worth purchasing. Sporting a healthy deep ruby but as classic notes darker cherries, currants, truffly earth, lead pencil, and sweet tobacco, it hits the palate with medium-bodied richness as well as a concentrated, focused mouthfeel that has ripe tannins, beautiful overall balance, and outstanding length. This beautiful, classic, absolutely impeccably made Pomerol can be enjoyed any time over the coming 15+ years, and it will have a gradual decline as well.

This stunning blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc boasts a dense ruby/purple color along with a big, sweet bouquet of black cherries, licorice, roasted herbs, smoke, and cassis. Elegant, medium to full-bodied, pure flavors reveal moderately high tannin, but superb concentration and richness. Vieux Chateau Certan should be one of the longer-lived and most complex wines of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025.

(70% merlot and 30% cabernet franc) Good red-ruby. Highly complex, cabernet franc-dominated aromas of berries, dark chocolate, leather, tobacco and spices. Dense and fat but with a firm edge of acidity leavening the wine's layered texture. A lush and creamy wine with terrific spine. Classic VCC, finishing with outstanding spicy persistence. It's hard to find this style of right-bank Bordeaux today. I've had a letch for this wine since the outset.

Dense, ripe, and very minerally nose (black cherry and violets); beautifully balanced, rich middleweight wine - fleshy, elegant, creamy textured, with a very fine, firm tannin and a fresh defining acidity; a sweetly ripe core of fruit, very long to develop across the palate and with a quite lovely perfume; an effortless combination of the juice of very ripe grapes and the mineral elements of the soil - followed by splendid length. Great, classic VCC.

70 % Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc. Bottle came from Bordeaux this morning! The weather in 2004 described as ‘benign’ with no drought or excessive heat or cold. August, however, was ‘ complicated with humid, warm and cloudy weather. Sunny September saved the vintage. Picking started on 20 September.’ Deep glowing blackish garnet. Not much nose but charming, sweet fruit on the palate. Then a bit of dry tannin kicks in on the end which has a touch of rusty nails. Not the perfect balance of the 2002. Just a little drying on the end. Definitely needs time but I wonder whether the fruit will see the tannin out. (JR)